Est. 2026 · 10 US Cities · Week of Oct 12
National Burger Price Index
Avg across 10 cities · Oct 12, 2026
42-Week Trend
Share the national print
National BPI: $14.52 (+0.3% WoW) — week of Oct 12, 2026. Austin is the value trade; New York prints the premium. Avg across 10 cities. Bloomberg Terminal energy, Wendy's drive-thru prices — https://burgerprice.com/
What this means
BPI is a weekly weighted average of fast-food, casual, and premium burger prices across 10 cities. The national number $14.52 is this week's print on the tape. WoW ▲ 0.3% — burgers got pricier on the week. Austin is the value print; New York is the premium.
Next: pick a city·near me·this week's showdown — the drive-thru doesn't care about your feelings.
Weekly Showdown · Week of Oct 12, 2026
Chicago leads by $3.43. Portland is the value trade this week.
RHR Double Cheeseburger (w/ Fresh Cut Fries)
“Offering an unbeatable return on investment, the RHR Double delivers a masterclass in classic smash-burger fundamentals with crispy, lacy edges, gooey processed cheese, and perfectly tangy special sauce. At sub-eight dollars including fresh-cut fries, it yields the highest flavor-to-dollar alpha in Chicago's inflated culinary market. It fundamentally outcompetes both fast-food commodities and overpriced twenty-dollar luxury patties on pure value and execution.”
The Peanut-Butter Pickle Bacon Burger
“An audacious asset in Portland's culinary portfolio, this burger yields extraordinary flavor dividends through the high-risk, high-reward synergy of creamy peanut butter, smoky bacon, and briny pickles. The decadent melt coats the savory beef patty for an unctuous mouthfeel, outperforming standard market competitors with an aggressive, flavor-forward growth profile.”
Share this showdown
Chicago ($15.05) vs Portland ($11.62) — week of Oct 12, 2026. Chicago leads by $3.43. Track it: https://burgerprice.com/?showdown=chicago-il%2Cportland-or
Head-to-head BPI for the week of 2026-10-12: Chicago, IL at $15.05 vs Portland, OR at $11.62. Chicago leads by $3.43. Portland is the value trade this week.
Higher BPI means a pricier burger tape that week — not a moral victory. The winner badge marks the higher print; the gap is just dollars between the two. Same weighting as every city page: Fast Food 20%, Casual/Diner 40%, Premium/Gourmet 40%. Not financial advice — just the tape.
National average sits at $14.52 across 10 tracked cities. Chicago 3.7% above national; Portland 20.0% below national.
Deterministic weekly rotation — same week_of always picks the same pair from the tracked city list. Share URLs can pin an explicit pair (?showdown=slug-a,slug-b) without changing the live rotation.
Browse the full card grid on /cities, dig into either matchup city above, or hit /rankings for the weekly leaderboard. This week the national floor is Austin; the ceiling is New York. Methodology and weighting live on /about.
Dig into Chicago or Portland, browse All Cities, or see methodology on About.
Week-over-week BPI swings
10 cities tracked · Updated weekly
43.9% above national $14.52
13.6% above national $14.52
11.0% above national $14.52
7.3% above national $14.52
4.4% above national $14.52
3.7% above national $14.52
13.4% below national $14.52
16.6% below national $14.52
20.0% below national $14.52
34.1% below national $14.52
42-week OHLC · body = BPI movement · wicks = price spread
Week of October 12, 2026
Breaking
The National Burger Price Index (BPI) consolidated at $14.52 this week, masking aggressive regional volatility and sector rotation. Midwestern and West Coast equities surged, led by a blistering +12.3% breakout in Chicago ($15.05) and sharp gains in Los Angeles ($15.58) and Seattle ($15.16), driven by elevated prime-cut input costs and institutional brioche hoarding. Conversely, defensive profit-taking hammered the Gulf and Sunbelt corridors; New Orleans plummeted -11.3% to $12.58, while Austin tumbled -5.6% to claim the week’s value floor at an ultra-accommodative $9.57.
Tier-1 metropolitan benchmarks displayed late-cycle maturity. New York maintained its uncontested position as the nation's most capital-intensive patty market at $20.89 despite a mild -0.5% contraction, signaling durable institutional support for dry-aged assets. Meanwhile, Pacific assets corrected downward, with San Francisco retreating -3.2% to $16.50 alongside modest cooling in Boston ($16.12) and Nashville ($12.11). Analysts maintain an overweight rating on mid-tier smashburgers while advising strict risk management against frothy coastal truffle aioli premiums.
Rising feedyard input costs and tight cattle inventories continue to pressure margins, forcing Chicago and Los Angeles operators to pass griddle-level inflation directly to consumers.
Seasonal demand exhaustion following peak regional festivities triggered aggressive discounting in New Orleans, forcing widespread supply liquidation across quick-service menus.
While artisanal pickle spreads and heirloom tomato derivatives saw margin contraction, sustained baseline cheddar pricing kept the national benchmark anchored near $14.52.
Stories impacting burger prices this week
Drought conditions across the Southern Plains have accelerated cattle herd liquidation, pushing USDA choice beef cutout values up 4.2% week-over-week. Major packers Tyson Foods and JBS signal margin compression as slaughter rates hit three-year lows. Quick-service operators face immediate wholesale cost pressures heading into the winter quarter.
Sweeping municipal wage adjustments taking effect in key metro areas are driving up operating costs for franchised burger concepts, particularly in New York and coastal California. Operators report labor costs now exceed 34% of revenue, prompting automated ordering rollouts and menu repricing. Compliance deadlines slated for November are expected to accelerate regional price hikes.
Shake Shack and Smashburger posted mixed Q3 earnings, with corporate leadership signaling a slowdown in corporate-owned store expansions. Executives cited elevated urban real estate costs and selective consumer traffic, shifting capital expenditures toward suburban drive-thrus and licensing deals. Despite softer same-store sales growth, average check sizes remained elevated.
Consumer tracking data indicates fast-food diners are trading down from mid-tier combo meals to aggressive dollar-menu promotions while simultaneously splurging on premium weekend smashburgers. This bifurcation in spending has pressured mid-tier chains into defensive discount wars to protect weekday foot traffic. Total transaction counts slipped 1.8% nationwide in September.
Commodity-grade beef tallow prices surged to record highs following a wave of boutique burger chains and independent operators switching away from seed oils. The surge has caught institutional fryers flat-footed, creating localized wholesale shortages of rendered beef fat. Commodity traders note unseasonable demand from hospitality procurement desks looking to capitalize on nostalgic branding.
Top 3 cheapest vs. most expensive burgers this week
In-N-Out Burger
Los Angeles, CA
P. Terry's Burger Stand
Austin, TX
In-N-Out Burger
San Francisco, CA
Minetta Tavern
New York, NY
Petit Trois
Los Angeles, CA
Spruce
San Francisco, CA
How many burgers can minimum wage buy per hour?
Seattle, WA
Min wage: $21.30/hr
burgers/hr
Portland, OR
Min wage: $15.45/hr
burgers/hr
Los Angeles, CA
Min wage: $17.87/hr
burgers/hr
Chicago, IL
Min wage: $16.60/hr
burgers/hr
San Francisco, CA
Min wage: $16.99/hr
burgers/hr
Boston, MA
Min wage: $15.00/hr
burgers/hr
New York, NY
Min wage: $17.00/hr
burgers/hr
Austin, TX
Min wage: $7.25/hr
burgers/hr
Nashville, TN
Min wage: $7.25/hr
burgers/hr
New Orleans, LA
Min wage: $7.25/hr
burgers/hr
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